 "Swati Maliwal, Swati, Maliwal")
The Swati Maliwal assault case is a BJP conspiracy to frame Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and she is the "face" of this, the AAP alleged on Friday, terming allegations levelled by her against Kejriwal's aide "baseless".
The remarks of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came a day after the Delhi Police registered an FIR against Bibhav Kumar, the personal assistant of Kejriwal, for allegedly assaulting Maliwal, the party's member in the Rajya Sabha, at the chief minister's official residence on May 13.
Written Compliant submitted by email by Shri Bibhav Kumar against Ms Swati Maliwal to SHO Civil Lines on 17.05.2024 pic.twitter.com/vCL4LlRKOO
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) May 17, 2024
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Maliwal hit back at the AAP for terming her case "baseless" and accused the party of "questioning her character".
"The leaders who joined the party (AAP) yesterday declared a worker who has been with it for 20 years an agent of the BJP. Two days ago, the party had accepted the truth in a press conference and, today, it has taken a U-turn," she said on X.
Addressing a press conference, senior AAP leader Atishi said Maliwal had reached the CM's residence without an appointment and her intention was to level allegations against Kejriwal.
"Today a video has surfaced that has exposed the lie of Maliwal. In her FIR, she has said she was brutally assaulted and she was in pain, her clothes were torn and buttons of her shirt were torn. The video that has surfaced shows an entirely different reality," Atishi said.
According to the FIR, Maliwal was "kicked and slapped seven to eight times" allegedly by Kumar. The FIR also stated that Kumar "did not relent" despite her asking him to stop.
Maliwal has also claimed that Kumar hit her with "full force again and again" but no one came to her rescue.
Atishi said the video shows Maliwal "comfortably sitting in the drawing room" and "threatening the security staff", and that "her clothes were not torn".
"The video shows her threatening Kumar. The charges levelled by Maliwal are baseless. Maliwal insisted on meeting Kejriwal. She is a Rajya Sabha MP and she should know that the CM has a busy schedule. Kumar told her that the chief minister is busy and unable to meet her. She shouted at him, pushed him and tried to enter the residential portion of the CM House," she claimed.
"The whole incident proves that it was a BJP conspiracy and Swati Maliwal was made its face and pawn to frame Kejriwal. He was unavailable at that time and was saved. But Bibhav Kumar was accused by her," she alleged. Atishi added that Kumar has given a complaint to police against Maliwal.
"Bibhav Kumar has filed a complaint against Swati Maliwal ii with the Delhi Police and he has narrated the entire incident that happened on May 13," she said.
Atishi claimed that on May 13, at the gate of the CM's residence, Maliwal said that she had an appointment but when this was cross-checked, it came to light that she did not have one.
"She threatened them (security staff), fought with them and barged inside. The security took her to the waiting room, requesting her multiple times to leave as she did not have an appointment with Kejriwal," she said.
The AAP leader asked what was the reason behind Maliwal forcibly entering the CM's residence early morning without taking a prior appointment.
"From the waiting room, she barged into the main building and sat in the drawing room. Later, staff called Bibhav Kumar. He came within 10 to 15 minutes. He informed her that the CM was not available that day and could not meet her. Maliwal started arguing loudly with him and tried to move from the drawing room to the inner parts of the house. Bibhav did not let her enter the house and called the security staff to escort Maliwal outside," she said.
Maliwal went to the police after this and she was asked to undergo a medical examination, but she refused, Atishi claimed.
"Three days after this, the BJP again brought Maliwal forward with a new lie. But today's video has made everything clear," she said.
Atishi said the BJP is "rattled" after Kejriwal got interim bail from the Supreme Court in the excise policy linked money laundering case.
On Tuesday, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh had said that the incident with Maliwal was "highly condemnable" and had claimed that Kumar had "misbehaved" with her.
When asked about Singh accepting misbehaviour with Maliwal, Atishi said, "AAP MP Sanjay Singh met Maliwal and he had only her version. But now this video has brought out the truth in front of him and the entire country."
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak called the incident "yet another conspiracy and dirty trick of the BJP". "Now, they must be planning their next criminal move, we are all prepared for it. God is with us.
@ArvindKejriwal," he said on X.
Atishi's cabinet colleague Saurabh Bharadwaj said the video that surfaced on Friday explains "some things".
"The woman is saying that she has called police, which means that the so-called assault has already taken place. The officers in safari suits (seen in the video) are Delhi Police officers on security duty. She does not tell them even once that she has been beaten up badly.
"The video of May 17 shows that she is not able to walk properly. But even immediately after the so-called serious injuries, in this video she is comfortably sitting on the sofa and dialling numbers on her phone. She is seen threatening police and Bibhav," he said in a post on X in Hindi.
He alleged in the same post that on May 13, medical examination was not done even on the request of police. "I hope more CCTV videos will come out and everyone will know the truth," he added.
